In the News

March 29, 2013 — Florida House subcommittees on Wednesday approved three antiabortion-rights measures, while a fourth bill -- which would effectively ban most abortions -- appears to have stalled, the Sunshine State News reports. All four of the bills have companion measures in the Senate, according to the Sunshine State News.

Three Antiabortion Bills Advance

The House Criminal Justice Subcommittee voted along party lines to advance the first measure (HB 845), which would require abortion providers to sign affidavits stating that they are not performing an abortion based on the sex or race of the fetus. State Rep. Charles Van Zant (R) -- the bill's sponsor -- said the measure is needed to protect against racial and sexual discrimination (Giunta, Sunshine State News, 3/28).

However, state Rep. Irv Slosberg (D) called the bill "another attempt to chip away at access by calling into question every woman who makes a deeply personal medical decision" (Schreiner, AP/Miami Herald, 3/27).

The second measure (HB 759) -- sponsored by state Rep. Larry Ahern (R) -- would create a separate offense for criminal acts that result in harm to an "unborn child" at any point in pregnancy beginning at conception.

The House Civil Justice Subcommittee approved a third bill (HB 1129) that would require doctors to provide reasonable medical treatment and health care if an infant is born alive after an attempted abortion procedure (Sunshine State News, 3/28). They must also arrange for transport to a hospital. State Rep. Cary Pigman (R), the bill's sponsor, said it is "intended to guarantee all respect and humanity to an infant that's born alive, regardless of how it entered the world."

Meanwhile, a fourth bill (HB 395) that would have banned abortions in Florida unless a woman's life is in danger or her health is at "serious risk" appears to have stalled in the House Judiciary Committee. According to the Sunshine State News, the bill's sponsor has introduced it every legislative session since 2010 (Sunshine State News, 3/27).

Video Round Up

An Interview with Justice Ginsburg on the State of Abortion Access

In a rare interview, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg tells MSNBC's Irin Carmon it is a "crying shame" that state abortion restrictions are making the procedure increasingly "[i]naccessible" to many low-income women. Watch the video

Datapoints

A Look at Abortion Coverage in the ACA's Marketplace Plans, Repro Health Report Card, More

This week's charts depict why abortion coverage is unavailable in many states' ACA marketplace plans for 2015. We also feature a national reproductive health report card and an interactive look at abortion restrictions in Missouri. Read more

At A Glance

"[Roe v. Wade] protects a woman's freedom to make her own choices about her body and her health, and reaffirms a fundamental American value: that government should not intrude in our most private and personal family matters."

— President Obama, commemorating the 42nd anniversary of Roe v. Wade. Read more